


Vorkosigan's Viper.

by Lanna Michaels (lannamichaels)



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Alpha Aral Vorkosigan, Alternate Universe - A/B/O, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambition, Barrayaran Power Couples, Five Times, M/M, Marriage, Mpreg, Omega Ges Vorrutyer, Yuletide 2015, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 13:06:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5498045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannamichaels/pseuds/Lanna%20Michaels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five ways Ges shows his love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vorkosigan's Viper.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yhlee (etothey)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/etothey/gifts).



1.

Of all the Vor lords to knot him and get him pregnant, Ges really wishes it had not been Aral Vorkosigan. This is highly inconvenient. 

Ges isn't ugly by any means, but Ninette is the acknowledged beauty of the family and the one who is engaged to Aral. She is the Vorrutyer who is supposed to be repopulating the Vorkosigan line, not Ges.

But life, Ges knows, does not always go how it is supposed to go, and it is not too late to switch Vorrutyer siblings in the betrothal agreement. And so it is Ges who finds himself in the marriage circle with a very drunk Aral Vorkosigan. A very drunk Aral Vorkosigan who has both his eyes blackened from his revels last night in the caravanserai that Ges, annoyingly, was not invited to. Aral, with his unimpressive cock and thick knot that got them into this situation in the first place, stumbles over his words, but still manages to marry himself to Ges. It's a major accomplishment.

And the next day, Ges takes a shuttle to Vorbohn's Landing for advanced training and Aral takes a ship to Escobar to be paraded around, and it's not until Ges is shoving Pierre Piotr Vorkosigan out of his body that he looks up and sees Aral again. Who still, damn him, is the most achingly beautiful, untouchably human, Vor lord on this entire planet. 

Ges is in love, and highly ambitious, and _a father_. This was not according to plan.

 

2.

Pierre Vorkosigan is five years old and loud. He is also a fan of sneaking into his fathers's room in the early morning, but he screeches when he does so, so Ges must weigh the advantage of having advanced warning against the shame of having a son incapable of sneaking up on anyone. Pierre is a disgrace to the generations of guerrilla warriors who came before him. He is also covered in-- what is this?

"Cook took me to the market!" Pierre announces. Aral grunts and rolls over. For all that Aral grew up in a war, he can still sleep through anything if he tries hard enough. He's so stubborn, Ges can't stand it.

Ges shoves Aral's shoulder anyway. Aral's on leave now and Ges has to report to HQ in two hours. Admiral Kanzian wants some words with him. And maybe hopefully more than words. Look, Ges never objects to some personal instruction from Barrayar's leading strategist, and Aral would give his left testicle for the same option. It's just Aral's luck that he's an alpha and so Kanzian would never, ever knot _him_. Kanzian's a traditionalist. Why would he care that Aral loves to take it as much as he likes to give it? And Aral does so _love_ to take it. It's probably saved their marriage two or three times by now, Aral with his legs wrapped around Ges and moaning so hard, the armsmen blush the next morning.

Pierre is bouncing on the bed and even Aral can't sleep through that without a lot of bruises, so he sits up, giving Ges a lovely view of his broad, strong, muscled back. Ah, yes. That was the reason he married him. Ges forgets sometimes.

"All right, you monster. Breakfast," Aral says.

Ges puts his hand between Aral's shoulder blades and rests it there for a moment. Then he gets out of bed and goes to have breakfast.

 

3.

It seems like Aral and Ges have spoken of nothing but the Komarr invasion plan for the last month. Aral will have the command, because he is a Vorkosigan, and Ges will have command of one of the ships. It will not be the first time Ges has been under Aral's orders, but it always rankles. Aral is a brilliant strategist, but Ges isn't far behind him, and Ges has _friends_. Aral does not cultivate people the way Ges can. Aral has his circle, but he does not choose people for their connections, for what they can do. Aral ignores politics, and that is a very stupid thing for a Vorkosigan to do.

Must Ges do _everything_ in this marriage? Where would Aral be without him?

So it is Ges who has friends in the Ministry and it is Ges who hears what Political Education doesn't want Aral to hear and it is Ges who knows more about the power struggle over Aral's command than Aral ever will. And so it is left to Ges to manage this, to ease the way for Aral. The political officer assigned to the invasion was too clean; Ges couldn't get his claws into him. So he gets the officer changed and then Ges pays him a visit.

The next day, Ges overhears someone call him Vorkosigan's viper, and Ges goes home and fucks Aral until he can forgot that _possessive_. Aral does not own him. Aral does not direct him. They both brought name and influence into this marriage, but they both brought loyalty as well. Ges put his hands between Count Vorkosigan's when the new betrothal was signed, but Aral swore oaths to Ges as well. Ges will not allow some lackey in the Ministry to destroy all of his work over some petty argument between the Emperor and Grishnov. Ges has put too much into this to lose now.

Because he married the grandson of Prince Xav, and he knows exactly what that means.

 

4.

"Prince Serg tried to assassinate the Emperor," one of Ges's sources whispers to him, and Ges goes home. Vorkosigan House is empty of the family tonight. Pierre left for the Academy that morning, Marie and Olivia are spending the week with Ninette on the coast, and the Count took Selig and little Catherine with him to the District with a broad hint to Aral about time running out on providing him more grandchildren.

Aral is sitting in his office when Ges walks in, and he looks up and he smiles, the faded scar on his face standing out against the beard stubble. Aral thinks they are going to have sex tonight. Aral thinks they are going to laugh at his father as Ges fucks Aral. Aral thinks-- well. Ges has always known how to play Aral, but he thinks tonight might be the hardest battle yet.

"We need to speak about the Prince," Ges says, and Aral loses the smile. Aral, who has had his run-ins with the politicals in the last year. Aral, who speaks to Serg politely but never politically. Aral, who should have been the Emperor, and who knows it.

"We do not," Aral says. He is tense and Ges walks around him and starts to rub at his shoulders.

"He is dangerous," Ges says.

Aral leans back and closes his eyes. "So are you," he says.

"One of us killed an Emperor," Ges says, and Aral stands up abruptly. He turns on his heel. He is glaring. He is breathing hard and he is staring at Ges, daring him to say anything more. "Serg would like to join the club. Will you let him in?"

Ges sees the punch coming and lets it land. And the next one, and the next, and by the fourth, Ges is kissing Aral hard enough to bleed, and Aral's hands are tearing at Ges's uniform, and Aral is cursing him. Ges gets the upper hand and pins Aral's wrists over his head and rides him until the rage wears off, until Aral forgets the way it had felt to take the first cut out of an Emperor.

"Let Ezar handle this," Aral pleads, but his erection is trapped between their bodies, and Ges thinks, maybe another baby. 

One that might grow up with the Emperor for a father.

 

5.

Aral Vorkosigan is forty-three years old when Ges murders a prince for him.

It's a duel, because this assassination must be public. It must be over documented grounds. Serg had attempted to defile Aral's honor and Ges had called him out in the middle of the Emperor's Birthday.

Let them wonder why Ezar had allowed it. Let them wonder why Ges Vorrutyer, five months pregnant, would risk everything for a husband who outranked him. Aral had the better right. Aral had the legal standing. But Aral could not be allowed to be the hand to kill Serg.

When it is done, Ges holds his head high during the trial. He has an omega's right to protect his family, and he has _friends_. Ges Vorrutyer has always had so many friends. He sees potential where others see weakness, and so the prince's widow stands up to speak for him at the trial. She had cried for her husband at the funeral, a public display of grief never shown in private. Ges had always made allies wherever he could, and this time, it saves his life.

Serg Vorbarra had died without an heir. Ezar Vorbarra is old. And Ges Vorrutyer has given two sons to the Vorkosigans. The younger will be Count Vorkosigan when Count Piotr dies.

And the elder? Pierre will succeed his father as Emperor.

And Ges smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> [Yuletide Reveal Post](https://lannamichaels.dreamwidth.org/903773.html)


End file.
